Sunday, 8 September 2013

I am very happy to announce that my blog will reach 100,000
visitors in the next few days.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has stopped
by. Whether you have left a comment (which I always love receiving), follow the
blog (which I'm really appreciative of) or just read without introducing
yourself (I'm really very friendly), it means such a lot to me, so thank you
all very much.

My readers from Russia are welcome to leave a comment in their own language.
As a thank you, I'm having a little sweet giveaway. It will be a little
surprise to one lucky winner. The giveaway is open to readers old and new and
I'm happy to post worldwide. To enter, please leave a comment on this post, and
I'll announce the winner after drawing a name at random soon after reaching
100,000 visitors.

Thursday, 5 September 2013

I found the pattern in a book - Designs and Patterns from Muhu Island. Muhu handicrafts can truly be considered one of the brightest jewels in the great treasury of Estonian folk art. I love how these mittens turned out!Ravelry

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

I had previously marked this Cerus scarf pattern as a favourite in Ravelry some time ago. The scarf is knitted using linen stitch lengthwise. It is a perfect stitch for a man's scarf. I like how linen stitch creates an interesting textile that looks and feels almost like woven fabric. My aim was to knit a classic man's scarf but it turned out to be a wee bit too long to be termed classic size which is 25 x 180 cm. I cast on 371 stitches on to 6 mm needles. The final measurements of the scarf are 20 cm x 216 cm and I use 1.5 skeins of King Cole Riot DK yarn.

On my regular walks I have become fascinated by the Buddleia or Butterfly Bush as it is more commonly known. It is amazing how this bush attracts dozens of butterflies; the majority of which are peacock butterflies who fly around and settle on the flowers to feast on nectar.

Sunday, 1 September 2013

I have just come back from a lovely trip to the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh and I would like to share some brief impressions I have of the Lothian region. On a day trip to Edinburgh I enjoyed a guided tour of the Scottish Parliament Building. Did you know you can pre-book this free guided tour ? The other highlight of my day in Edinburgh was a visit to the Royal Botanic Garden. During our week in Scotland we visited Alnwick Castle and Gardens which included the largest tree house of Europe. Alnwick Castle was used as part of Hogwarts in the first Harry Potter film.We also visited Jedburgh (well worth visiting!) and Jedburgh Abbeyand enjoyed Scott's View which was one of the favourite places for Sir Walter Scott to sit and write and overlooked his house Abbotsford.

Most of all I would like to share with you my impressions of two amazing statues.

The first one is a statue of William Wallace or
Braveheart as he is sometimes known as.

This statue is in the grounds of the Bemersyde estate
near Melrose in the Scottish Borders.

It was erected by David Stuart Erskine, the 11th
Earl of Buchan and for many years was hidden from view with only the locals
knowing where it was.

It has now been refurbished and is a grade 2 protected
listed building and is available for all to see with a car park nearby and a
footpath to the statue where overlooking the estate.

It is visible from the A1 at Gateshead on the way south
from Scotland but it is well worth stopping and having a closer look and a walk
round this truly amazing sculpture. It is Britain’s biggest sculpture and is believed to be
the world’s biggest angel sculpture.

About Me

I am an Estonian lady living, knitting and designing knitwear in UK.
I even can’t remember when I learnt to knit. My mum knitted socks and mittens, so did my granny and my great auntie liked to knit lace tops in fine cotton thread. My daughter knitted socks, mittens and several sweaters when in high school. I hope one day she will pick up knitting again as she’s got lots of great knitting books to inherit. I prefer reference books to pattern books, they are so inspirational. I love to design my own patterns and I have started to write them down now. Most of my patterns get test knitted. If there are any problems, please feel free to contact me.
Happy knitting!